My list of summer TV's worst shows . . . so far

A couple of weeks back, I filled The Feed with a list of the shows I most liked this summer. Now it’s time for the other shoe to land.

For every ambitious drama like Nurse Jackie or True Blood, there’s a boorish I Survived a Japanese Game show lurking around the corner. And heartwarming as some of the performers’ stories are on America’s Got Talent, most of the bunch are musty enough that I’ve considered adding a question mark to the end of the show’s title.

In that spirit of crabby grousing that the sweltering heat of late July can produce, here’s my list of stinkers for the summer – titled, you’d be well-advised to avoid by any means necessary.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, 12:35 p.m. weeknights, WFLA-Ch. 8: The rush from his triumphant debut has faded, and a few months into his job as NBC’s New Conan, it’s obvious former Saturday Night Live star Fallon is floundering like a 16-year-old driving his dad’s Maserati. Mentor Lorne Michaels has built an amazing vehicle for his young talent – complete with the second-best band in late-night, The Roots – but Fallon can’t do much with it besides make funny faces and look adorable.

I’m  a Celebrity . . . Get Me Out of Here, aired in June on WFLA: Unfolding like a bizarre ripoff/blend of Celebrity Apprentice and Survivor, this show mostly had the distinction of publicizing reality TV brats Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt so much, you actually felt sorry for Sanjaya Malakar and the governor’s wife whose husband got caught trying to sell Barack Obama’s old Senate seat.

 Big Brother 11, airing at 8 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays, 9 p.m. Tuesdays on WTSP-Ch. 10: In case there was a viewer left who missed the sophomoric stuff that went down when a dozen vapid reality TV wanna-bes got stuck in a makeshift house over three months, this year producers made it official by separating contestants into the kind of cliques you remember from high school. The problem: This makes the show unwatchable for everyone except that small percentage who still fondly remember high school.

Wipeout, airing at 8 p.m. Wednesdays on WFTS-Ch. 28: Watching over-excited, under-coordinated knuckleheads doink their heads of the show’s outlandish obstacle courses feels entertaining the first dozen times you watch. But every telecast feels like it saps your brain power a little more, until you’re babbling at the screen like somebody stuck in the audience of that Schwarzenegger film, The Running Man.

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Discovery Channel catches up to executive producer, says Pitchmen will present a second season after death of star Billy Mays

(UPDATE: After I posted this item on the certainty of producers' Anthony Sullivan and Thom Beers that Pitchmen would continue after the unexpected death of Billy Mays, Discovery Channel -- which had originally declined to comment on my item -- issued a press release admitting a second season was going to happen.

The channel is also repeating its hourlong tribute to Mays on July 24; it originally aired July 9. The channel's release says Sullivan, Beers and Discovery Channel are developing the next season with Mays' son Billy Mays III.)

To clear his head after the death of his friend and partner, legendary pitchman Billy Mays, infomercial producer/talent Anthony Sullivan decided to hike a distant mountain in Colorado, far away from their Tampa homebase.

But when a group of girls stopped to pet his dog, Sullivan soon found out he hadn’t traveled far enough to outdistance fans of the Discovery Channel show he starred in with Mays.

Which helps explain why Sullivan and executive producer Thom Beers say they are going to try reinventing the show for another season after Mays’ death — if they can work out a new format that honors their departed co-star’s memory.

“Everyone has said to me ‘Are you going to find a new Billy Mays?’ and that’s not possible,” said Sullivan, noting only his 20-something son, Billy Mays III, might come close. “We have to reinvent the show, but I really want to be careful. I just want to make sure we do what Billy would want — I think he’d roll over in his grave if we just stopped it.”

Executive producer Beers, whose credits include the Discovery hit Deadliest Catch, was more definitive, saying “I know (Pitchmen) will continue on. Absolutely, without a doubt.”

Mays, 50, was found dead in his Tampa home the morning of  June 28; the Hillsborough County medical examiner said preliminary autopsy results indicate he may have died of heart disease. Sullivan and Mays had already filmed the 12-episode first season of Pitchmen, which concluded July 1. Discovey aired a special tribute episode July 9.

Beers suggested the show could continue because so much drama came from the stories of inventors pitching their products to Sullivan and Mays, who would decide which deserved a showcase in a major direct-marketing campaign. But fans may wonder if the chemistry between Mays and Sullivan, who sparred with each other playfully like an old married couple, might be difficult to replace.

“(Mays) was thrilled with his ability to help all these people reach their dreams,” Beers said. “Why would we give that up?”

And though Sullivan had some ideas for revamping the show, he wants to make sure Mays’ wife, Deborah, and son are on board, as well.

“The main thing, is we want to be sensitive to his fans and his family,” Sullivan said. “And we’ve gotten an overwhelming amount of mail saying ‘You’ve got to carry the torch.’ Turns out, hit shows aren’t that easy to come by . . . and I get the feeling how we do it will be part of the appeal of season two.”

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Producers for Jerry Seinfeld's Marriage Ref come to the Tampa Bay area this weekend

If you haven't already tried out for Who Wants to be a Millionaire, or Biggest Loser or America's Next Top Model or American Idol -- all top reality TV shows who have auditioned folks in or near the Tampa Bay area in recent weeks -- then you've got one more shot at unscripted television glory.

Producers for Jerry Seinfeld's new show The Marriage Ref are expected to fly into the Tampa Bay area this weekend, scheduling interviews with couples who have a longstanding disagreement over something ("no problem is too small," the casting notice insists).

Instead of arranging a cattle call audition somewhere public, however, the producers are asking prospective couples to call their hotline at 1-877-304-4040 or email marriagerefcasting@shedmediaus.com to schedule an interview this weekend. Seinfeld is the creator and executive producer; in other words, he isn't going to be there.

The Marriage Ref is a show dreamed up by Seinfeld which allows celebrities, comics and sports stars to act as referees for typical and not-so-typical marital spats.

So imagine turning to Chris Rock for advice on how to keep your wife from complaining about your boys nights out, or asking Kathy Griffin for tips on how to spice up your love life (maybe you want to ask Pamela Anderson, instead)

If you do call and get an audition, feel free to post here on how it went.

This may be some couple's last chance to earn the kind of fame which has made household names of Jon and Kate Gosselin -- though that may not be the best motivation.

Tampa Bay Idol winner and runner-up move up

Samantha Leigh's shot at American Idol fame came down to about 15 seconds; the amount of time she got to blast through Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady during her audition today before American Idol producers in Orlando.

Leigh was the singer I helped choose for a special audition slot handed out through WTVT-Ch. 13's Tampa Bay Idol contest, working with four other judges to sort through 80 applicants and watching 10 finalists sing at a Brandon mall.

Turns out, she and second-place finisher Brad Iturriaga did well, moving to the next stage in Idol's audition process.

Leigh's win guaranteed an audition before the show's producers ahead of the 10,000 people who crowded around Amway Arena today, joining about 50 people who had won similar contests around the region or done well at Disney World's Idol Experience.

 According to Leigh, singers were split into groups and asked to sing when pointed at, standing before four casting producers. Generally, singers got through about 15 seconds of a tune before they were stopped -- nothing like the longer auditions with feedback they show during the Idol broadcasts.

(Here's Leigh with WTVT's Charley Belcher, me, WFLZ's Meredith and singer Belinda Womack last week in Brandon.)

"They tell you ahead of time not to introduce yourself, not to ask for feedback, they just point to you and you sing," said Leigh, 22, who works as a hairstylist and performs at Busch Gardens  in Tampa. "It was crazy, nerve-racking . . . almost surreal."

Leigh and Iturriaga will perform for the show's executive producers later this month -- Fox doesn't publicize those auditions the way they hype the big stadium cattle calls -- and won't face on-camera judges such as Simon Cowell, if they're lucky, until next month.

Leigh didn't even get to meet Idol host Ryan Seacrest, who was there to film some of the opening sequences for the audition shows. "I did get to stand 20 feet away from him," she said, laughing. "Maybe I'll meet him next time."

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As Discovery Channel airs tribute to pitchman Billy Mays tonight, his family OKs continued airing of his commercials

As I originally reported last week, the family of legendary pitchman Billy Mays has given their permission for marketers to continue airing commercials featuring the popular infomercial/spot selling king, who died suddenly in his Tampa home on June 28.

Mays' family issued a statement Wednesday announcing the decision, reached after a conference call held last week with more than a dozen marketers who had built advertising campaigns around Mays. Though Mays' son, Billy Mays III, has made reference to a foundation to be established in his father's name, the Wednesday statement makes no reference to it.

Roger Pliakas, a California attorney representing Mays' family, said in the statement, "Out of respect for Billy's family, most commercials were temporarily pulled off the air as his loss was mourned.  While the mourning and healing process will continue for the family, they have graciously given permission for all the people, inventors, companies and corporations to continue using his likeness on television and packaging pursuant to and honoring all existing agreements that he had in place.  The family hopes this will be done respectfully and at an appropriate time because they strongly believe this is what Billy would have wanted."

The company behind the Mighty Putty and Mighty Mendit products announced Wednesday they will air the last long-form infomercial Mays recorded before his death, a pitch for the Mighty Tape adhesive strips that featured the salesman repairing a leaky air line while scuba diving -- in his trademark blue shirt and khaki pants. 

 "It is important to understand that Billy believed in every product he sold, and he loved nothing more than bringing helpful products to people at a great savings," said his wife Deborah, in the statement.  "He always enjoyed meeting his loyal fans and taking time to really talk to everyday people."

Discovery Channel will air an hourlong tribute to Mays at 9 tonight called Pitchman: A Tribute to Billy Mays, featuring interviews with family members, his co-workers in the infomercial industry and his co-star on the series Pitchmen, Anthony Sullivan. A spokeswoman for the channel said Discovery had not made any decision on the future of Pitchmen, which aired the last episode of its first season July 1.

Pallbearers copied Mays look for his July 3 funeral, carrying the pitchman's coffin clad in his trademark blue shirt and khaki pants.

Discovery has also created a space on YouTube where fans can upload video tributes to Mays. Click here to travel to the site. Look below to see some of the videos already uploaded there.

Michael Jackson Memorial coverage notes: Will biggest news be who doesn't show up?

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 Watching Smokey Robinson read an awkward tribute from Diana Ross at Michael Jackson's just-underway memorial at the Staples Center, it strikes me: The biggest news from this event may be who doesn't show up.

Already, longtime Jackson pal Elizabeth Taylor has said she won't appear, sending messages through Twitter -- Liz Taylor is on Twitter?!? --  ""I've been asked to speak at the Staples Center. I cannot be part of the public whoopla....And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word...I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event."

Snarkier minds may theorize that Taylor just doesn't want to appear before a worldwide audience these days -- she has been seen in a wheelchair in public recently. But I wrote this morning about how Jackson's story can seem to corrode whomever it touches -- perhaps friends such as Ross and Taylor just don't want to share space with obvious parasites like dad Joe Jackson.

Though the coverage has just begun, we've already seen a few interesting moments: an NBC reporter who had to be reminded that Betty White is not buried in Forest Lawn cemetery -- in fact, she's not dead -- but Bette Davis is; Fox news anchor Shep Smith sounding a little irritated as the channel tracked the progress of Jackson's casket through traffic noting "they're shutting down freeways for this funeral?" and ex-MTV VJ John Norris wearing a hairstyle (or hairpiece) which looks like a toupee stolen from Donald Trump and stapled to his forehead.

Commentators are comparing the spectacle to Princess Diana's death -- but this may be even bigger thanks to the worldwide audience funneled in by Facebook, Twitter and loads of Web sites. Shades of coverage seems to vary little -- though black-focused BET seems to be very deliberately avoiding any talk about the seamier sides of Jackson's life or legacy.

And it makes a certain kind of sense that the memorial for Jackson, who always seemed to exist in a time a bit apart from everyone else, would start late and have a huge pause in the beginning.

Who should Variety magazine honor as best TV performers of the new millennium?

As 2009 speeds to close, critics and pundits are scrambling to define the Oughts -- the first ten years of the new millennium.

So it makes a certain kind of sense that the trade magazine Variety would be asking critics like me to help them figure out who should get their Emmys of the '00s -- tribute as the best TV performers at the turn of the new century.

Earlier this year, we voted on finalists, listed below. I've already pulled out my picks, but I don't have to deliver a final vote until July 21. So if you disagree, now's your chance to make an argument.

Who gets your vote as best TV performer of the new millennium?

DRAMA SERIES Nominees

My pick: “The Sopranos” -- For combining creative storytelling and compelling characters with the most popular series in premium cable TV history.

The rest: “Friday Night Lights”, “Lost”, “Mad Men”, “The West Wing”, “The Wire”

COMEDY SERIES - Nominees

My pick: “The Daily Show” I wanted Raymond, because it is the last, best conventional sitcom in the group. But Jon Stewart and Co. meld side-splitting humor with satire so powerful it has actually made a difference in the real world.

The rest: “Everybody Loves Raymond”, “30 Rock”, “Arrested Development”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, “The Office”

DRAMA ACTOR - Nominees

My pick: James Gandolfini, “The Sopranos” - Another amazing field. But Gandolfini brought the quality year after year for eight seasons, creating a character so complex we were attracted and repulsed by him in the same breath. Other than Chiklis' Sheild run, no one else here has quite that tenure at the top.

The rest: Michael C. Hall, “Dexter”, Jon Hamm, “Mad Men”, Hugh Laurie, “House”, Michael Chiklis, “The Shield”, Bryan Cranston, “Breaking Bad”

DRAMA ACTRESS - Nominees

My pick: Edie Falco, “The Sopranos” - Can you tell I loved The Sopranos? Still, Falco was mesmerizing as the pragmatic mob wife who could give as good as she got. Their wall-shattering argument at the end of the 6th season was so close to reality, I felt like I was listening in on the neighbors.

The rest: Connie Britton, “Friday Night Lights”, Glenn Close, “Damages”, Allison Janney, “The West Wing", Mary McDonnell, “Battlestar Galactica”, Kyra Sedgwick, “The Closer”

COMEDY ACTOR - Nominees

My pick: Kelsey Grammer, “Frasier” - it's not as flashy a role as some of these characters, but Grammer deserves the title for creating a character which anchored two hit TV comedies, Frasier and Cheers.

The rest: Alec Baldwin, “30 Rock”, Jason Bateman, “Arrested Development”, Steve Carell, “The Office”, Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”, Ricky Gervais, “The Office”

COMEDY ACTRESS - Nominees

My pick: Sarah Jessica Parker, “Sex and the City” - Parker wins by a hair; only because this tart, explicit, naughty HBO series let Parker do so much -- from playing the committment-phobe against John Corbett's marriage ready furniture designer to pining for Chris Noth's Manhattan business mogul Mr. Big.

The rest: Tina Fey, “30 Rock”, Lauren Graham, “Gilmore Girls”, Patricia Heaton, “Everybody Loves Raymond”, Jane Kaczmarek, “Malcolm in the Middle”, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “The New Adventures of Old Christine”, Mary-Louise Parker, “Weeds”

Tampa Bay Idol winner heading to Orlando auditions: Could she be the next American Idol?

 After a week helping judge WTVT-Ch. 13's Tampa Bay Idol contest, now I understand why Fox is backing up the money truck for Simon Cowell (at last count, a salary of $144-million per season was in the offing).

Joined by MJ Morning Show personality Meredith, area vocalist Belinda Womack and WTVT-Ch. 13 feature reporter Charley Belcher, we slogged through 80 video submissions last Thursday.

Then on Wednesday, we saw 10 finalists sing their hearts out before a crowd of a couple hundred people at the Brandon Mall. But as much as I wanted to unleash my inner Cowell -- best I could do was letting one fella know, gently, that his appearance wasn't quite up to snuff for the gig -- the contestants were just too good.

One kid came looking like a backup singer for Chris Brown and unleashed an amazing take on Somewhere Over the Rainbow (think Jennifer Holiday-meets Sam Harris). Another guy stepped up looking like a roadie for Kid Rock and uncorked a spine-tingling version of Oleta Adams Get Here.

In the end, the crown went to Tampa resident Samantha Leigh (left), who ruled the stage with an energetic cover of Aretha Franklin's Rock Steady.

In addition to having great vocal chops, though, she had a sexy, spunky look, a great outgoing performance attitude and the kind of unexpected act -- punky girl with the soulful vocal chops -- that might make an impression with Idol producers.

Leigh gets a gas card worth $100 and a guaranteed spot before the show's producers when they come to Orlando July 9 to audition Floridians.

We were just hoping to pick someone who might pull a Jordin Sparks and go from local affiliate contest winner to overall Idol champ. (photos courtesy of Fox 13)

Take a look at the video below. I think you'll agree that we may have pulled that off.

 

Billy Mays tribute July 9 on Discovery; his commercials return next week

When the world's most visible pitchman dies at the height of his fame, it's the obvious, yet painful question: What to do with all the commercials?

Billy Mays' unexpected death Sunday made that question a serious issue for the direct-response marketing industry's top names. Mays was so successful and widely used -- one tracking firm said he has up to 15 different commercials airing on TV stations across the country at the moment -- that his passing could affect the fate of companies worth many millions of dollars.

According to Bill McAlister, owner of the company that makes Mighty Putty and Mighty Mendit household adhesives, more than a dozen marketers who had commercials featuring Mays got together on a conference call organized by his partner Anthony Sullivan Tuesday to discuss the issue,  joined by an attorney representing the pitchman's wife and his adult son. McAlister said the group decided to resume airing his commercials next week, after Mays' funeral and burial near Pittsburgh.

The Discovery Channel has scheduled a full-length tribute to Mays at 9 p.m. July 9, but they also made note of his death during the final episode of the series he and Sullivan filmed for the channel, Pitchmen. Brief memorial messages played leading into and out of commercial breaks during the show, and the last 10 minutes or so served as a short, powerful memorial to the 50-year-old sales dynamo.

Most of the show was a surprisingly satisfying wrap-up to the season, featuring Sullivan and Mays facing off in a battle of pitches at a Philadelphia home show. Sparked by a challenge during a radio appearance, the two agree to pitch different products at different booths in a sprawling home show; but Sullivan finds a couple of friends to throw on disguises and disrupt Mays' patter.

Despite the disruption, Mays still earned about 30 percent more money than Sullivan; later segments highlighted how many inventors featured in the series saw their products rack up millions in sales behind Mays' spirited commercial spots.

Mays' son Billy Mays III is also providing regular updates on his activities through his Twitter page while preparing for the tributes to his father and struggling with grief. "Watched the finale surrounded by cousins and friends," he messaged last night. "About two minutes of silence after the tribute at the end..."

Indeed, the show's final minutes may have been the most fitting tribute possible: showing the impact the world's best-known pitchman had on so many lives before the passing of his own.

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St. Petersburg man in Big Brother 11

CBS reality shows must really like folks from the Tampa Bay area.

That's because 41-year-old St. Petersburg resident Casey Turner is among the 12 contestants announced today in the newest edition of CBS's unscripted live-in-a-house competition, Big Brother.

Turner follows in the footsteps of Lakeland native Spencer Duhm, who became the youngest person to compete on CBS's castaway show Survivor in its latest cycle. And Big Brother has featured a Tampa Bay resident before: the ninth cycle of the show featured Sarasota native "Crazy James" Zinkand.

According to the Associated Press, Turner calls himself a "hip-hop redneck," balancing night work as a DJ with his day gig of teaching at low-income schools over the last 15 years. He's leaving behind a wife and two kids, including a 9-month-old son, to compete for $500,000 if he can outlast the other contestants.

"I'm going to miss my family," Turner told the AP. "It's been really hard for me just the couple of days I've been secluded here in the hotel, so I can imagine how I'm going to feel a month from now. I look forward to meeting some cool people. All of them will not be cool. I'm aware of that. All of them will not like my style. I'm aware of that, too.

There's a 13th houseguest who will join the competition after the 12 meet each other next week. The contestants this year will be split into four familiar high school cliques -- popular, athletes, brainiacs and off-beats -- competing for food, safety from eviction and luxury prizes as part of their clique.

The whole mess hits TV screens live at 8 p.m. July 9 on WTSP-Ch. 10, airing Sundays, Tuesday and Thursdays through the summer. Here's a preview video from CBS on it all.

Click below video to read CBS's official take on the whole thing and to see the full list of lockups.

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